


Whatever Else

by KaiserKris



Series: Rise of the Mutants One-Shots [5]
Category: X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 07:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6744676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaiserKris/pseuds/KaiserKris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt and Wanda had agreed to explore friendship or 'whatever else'. </p><p>This is the story of how 'whatever else' happened for them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whatever Else

“... do you want to just get out of here?” Wanda asked at intermission, her eyes meeting his for a long moment.  _ I probably haven’t done a very good job hiding my discomfort,  _ Kurt realized, but he’d not felt quite himself, either physically or otherwise since he’d left. He’d thought that it might be a relief to see a visage in the mirror that didn’t run to the demonic, but the opposite was true. Kurt simply felt like he was lying to himself and everyone around him. 

 

“No, I’m okay.” Kurt offered a little smile, not wanting to miss the rest of the play and particularly not wanting Wanda to miss it. He tried to broaden it into his best grin. “I’ll be fine.” He tried to invest that last line with as much swagger as he could, as if he were some dashing hero simply playing a part in a masquerade. 

 

“Kurt.” Wanda replied firmly, her eyes full of concern. Her hand drifted to his arm. “You don’t have to pretend anything on my behalf. Besides, the play isn’t  _ that  _ good. You’d make a far better Orlando than that buffoon on the stage.” Kurt pretty much knew that the game was up and there was no point pretending, but at the same time, he felt an acute pang of guilt, because he knew that she  _ had  _ been enjoying the show. 

 

“Are you certain? I can manage.” That, at least, was true. Kurt could manage- he would be physically and emotionally uncomfortable the whole time, but he could manage to attend the show, which mostly consisted of sitting and watching a show and not interacting too much with the public. That at least was a small blessing. It was hard for him to look anyone in the eye at this point, even his- well, not precisely  _ date,  _ but also not precisely  _ not.  _

 

“Managing isn’t what tonight’s supposed to be about.” Wanda countered. “You’re supposed to enjoy yourself, and that’s not happening. We can go back to the school and I can drag you into my giant, mostly empty room and we can watch old movies and have just as much fun. Probably more because the snacks are free and this ritzy-ass theatre doesn’t even have popcorn.” 

 

Kurt had to acknowledge when he was outmaneuvered, even when it was ultimately for his own benefit. “I’ll make it up to you, somehow.” He had no real idea how he was going to do that, but he’d find something. 

 

“I accept cash, credit and footrubs.” Wanda smiled puckishly, nudging his side. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. If I drive recklessly enough, we can be back at the Mansion by ten.” Her puckish smile turned into a wide grin and even though Kurt had been out of sorts the whole night, it would’ve been supremely wrong not to have acknowledged that there was a bright side to all of it. 

 

Wanda was excellent company by any standard- incisively intelligent and brightly snarky, willing to share her honest opinion about just about everything and yet, deep down, motivated by a fierce affection for the people she loved. Utterly unconcerned about propriety and convention, she was also surprisingly spiritual and they’d talked as much about theology as the Bard on the drive there. She read widely and deeply and even knew enough German to maintain conversation in that language for nearly a half hour. They’d discussed Goethe. 

 

There was also utterly no denying that she was beautiful- breathtakingly so in Kurt’s estimation, tall, with a cascade of wavy dark hair and utterly luminescent green eyes, just as intense in their own way as her father’s. She’d dressed up for tonight, wearing a form-fitting red dress, cut low on the neckline, displaying what Kurt had to admit was utterly spectacular cleavage. And the way that she smiled with that slightly challenging raised eyebrow and those red, red lips. In short, Wanda Lehnsherr was something like a goddess. 

 

But this wasn’t a date- or was it? They had left things ambiguous, intentionally so. “Whatever else” had been the phrase they’d used to discuss the very real possibility of something more than simply friendship developing between them. Both Wanda and Kurt had openly admitted to each other that such a thing may happen. And Kurt would be a liar if he didn’t admit to himself that he was kind of hoping that it might happen, though the evening hadn’t progressed particularly promisingly. 

 

Kurt offered Wanda his arm and they left the theatre, heading out in the crisp cool New York air, in search of where they’d left the car- which the Professor had been kind enough to donate for the night. It was a nice night, relatively warm for the season, the air just crisp enough to lend a faint blush to Wanda’s cheeks. Kurt felt another pang of guilt that they were leaving the show and that Wanda wouldn’t get to see the end of it. 

 

Wanda stopped for a moment and fixed him with a look. “Don’t. Don’t feel guilty. This isn’t your fault. It’s a bullshit world that makes people feel they have to hide.” Kurt knew that it bothered her, that mutants should have to hide. He understood that passion, appreciated that it was intended with only the noblest and best intentions, but he also knew there were things that Wanda  _ couldn’t  _ understand. 

 

“It’s not a feeling. My face could start a riot.” Kurt replied. “It basically has.” He remembered the screaming and chaos, the violence that had erupted at the circus. It was that very violence that had caused him to leave the travelling circus that had been his home since he was a newborn infant. He remembered Stefan. People had died that night, because he looked different. 

 

Wanda was quiet for a moment and it was actually Kurt who felt guilty then because the last thing he’d wanted was to make her feel bad. “I didn’t … fuck, I’m sorry.” She sighed softly, her breath emerging as a gentle mist in the cool night air. “I didn’t mean to remind you of that.” She reached for his hand and gave it a little squeeze. “This hasn’t been your night, has it?” 

 

“I liked the drive here. I like spending time with you.” Kurt replied sincerely- because he really did, more than just about anyone else here at the Institute. “You’re not wrong, really. It is not a just world.” He laughed a little wanly. “I’ll cheer up once I can get this tail out of my pants, I promise. It is … exceedingly uncomfortable.” He’d probably have a crick in it for ages afterwards, never minding the fact that the spade of his tail, which was extremely sensitive, had been rubbing up against his sock all night.

 

“Oh, that was your  _ tail _ ?” Wanda wagged her eyebrow exaggeratedly and grinned broadly. Kurt blushed furiously, though it wouldn’t be visible either behind the image inducer’s veil or underneath his own dark blue fur. “I just thought you were really, really happy to see me.” 

 

Kurt groaned. “Wanda! That is … that’s not …” His words trailed off as his blush deepened further. Of course, nothing of the sort would be visible underneath the image inducer’s illusion- otherwise, the outline of his tail would be very obvious indeed and she’d likely see the tip of its spade poking through the bottom of his pants. 

 

Wanda broke out into laughter. “Admit it. You walked into that.” Kurt didn’t particularly wish to admit that fact, but she was undeniably right. He couldn’t have set it up better if it was part of a comedy routine. She nudged him again and looked at him brightly, circling herself so she was in front of him. “You’re almost as easy to harass as Scott is, I swear.” She grinned broadly. “Harassable boys are fun.” 

 

Kurt wasn’t sure how he really felt about being compared so neatly to someone that she had such transparently sisterly feelings for- it was difficult to precisely quantify what he felt for Wanda Lehnsherr, but  _ brotherly  _ was certainly not part of it. The Lannisters on  _ Game of Thrones _ aside, brothers didn’t feel the undeniable stir of longing that he had to admit he sometimes got when he looked at Wanda, and not only when she wore low-cut dresses. 

 

They continued to walk down the street until they reached the parking garage where they’d left the car. Once they’d found it, Kurt circled around to open the door for Wanda and the smile she’d given him as he helped her into the car made his heart beat a little faster. He was tempted to simply teleport in the car, but that would probably not be practical for a few reasons. He got in as quickly as he could, closing the door behind him. 

 

“No one’s around, you know.” Wanda looked around for a moment and then at Kurt. The parking garage was remarkably empty, with most of the occupants at plays or concerts that wouldn’t be ending for a few hours yet. As much as Kurt still felt a little bad about leaving the play early, he had to admit it made for a rather easier exit. 

 

“Someone could see.” Kurt replied, looking around himself, flawless night vision admittedly not detecting anything yet, but that could change at any moment. Someone could arrive at any moment and their reaction would be completely unpredictable. 

 

“Maybe there’s someone who  _ wants  _ to see.” Wanda replied, her voice just above a whisper, but seemingly full of conviction, her eyes surprisingly soft. 

 

Kurt swallowed hard. “Well …” The heart which had been beating a little faster was hammering now. “I have never been one to deny a lady’s wishes.” He reached for the wristwatch-like device which held his image inducer and pressed the button to turn it off, the reflection of dark blue fur and glowing yellow eyes in the dashboard mirror. “Well, milady, here I am.” The air felt thick and Kurt had to remind himself to breathe it in, that she’d seen him many, many times before. Why did it feel like she was looking at him for the first time now? 

 

“Here you are.” Wanda replied softly. She smiled at him, but it wasn’t her usual knowing or snarky grin, but something that looked almost vulnerable. So engrossing was the moment that he swore he could hear her every breath, the sound of her heart beating. As intense as it all was, it wasn’t remotely as awkward as he thought it might be, though. The silence they shared wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, for all the tension in the atmosphere. 

 

“Wanda.” Kurt drew a little closer, almost unconsciously. He tried to think of words that could perhaps seize the moment, quotes from the Bard and other great writers, lines from old films, anything. Nothing seemed quite right, no words in any of the two languages they shared between them, English and German seemed quite right. He took another breath, suddenly afraid that the moment between them would slip away and would it come again? 

 

“Whatever else. I think that this is becoming whatever else.” Wanda reached out for him. “But … you need to know something first.” She drew a breath of her own and he felt her tremble slightly. Kurt had never seen her nearly as vulnerable as this. He instinctively reached out his hand to her shoulder, her hand rising to where his lay. “I can’t promise you much, Kurt. If, okay, if I just thought this was about messing around and having some fun, it wouldn’t  _ matter,  _ but while I totally, one hundred percent am all for messing around and having fun, it’s not just about that, is it?” 

 

“No, it isn’t.” Kurt replied softly. He was not totally unfamiliar with the concept of relationships of convenience- the American phrase ‘friends with benefits’ was probably a pretty apt description of what he’d had with Amanda back at the circus. But Wanda? They shared a lot more in common with each other. They both loved literature and classical music- they had an undying affection for old movies, both loved dressing up in costumes.

 

They could talk to each other for hours about seemingly anything- as easily about their hopes and fears as about literature or films. 

 

“But if you’re willing to deal with my incredibly fucked-up self, then I think, I think that I would be okay with trying out whatever else.” Wanda’s hand softly stroked his velvet-furred one as their eyes met for a long, quiet moment. He swallowed again, his heart continuing to hammer swiftly. 

 

“My lady, nothing would please me more.” There was more he wanted to say, but that would do, that was the essential fact, the barest truth. They had all the time in the world for all those other things that needed saying. 

 

It seemed they had the same idea at the same time, for they leaned in together at the same time- and gently bumped their faces against each other, neither quite expecting the other to make the move utterly simultaneously. Wanda laughed softly as her lips ended up brushing against his cheek and he found himself brushing against her chin. He couldn’t help but laugh himself. 

 

“Oh my god, that was awful. But it would’ve been  _ perfect  _ if it would’ve wor-” It was Kurt this time who made the second attempt and this time, it was perfect, sweet and slow, unhurried, but in no way tentative. His hand went up to stroke her hair as the kiss deepened. They parted only hesitantly, breathless and almost dizzy with delight. Wanda took a deep breath. “I stand corrected. That was … pretty perfect.” She smiled. 

 

It really was- as good and sweet a kiss as Kurt had ever had in his life. He playfully brushed a particularly curly bit of soft hair from her face, and this time, it was Wanda that leaned in to kiss him again, a little more heated this time, deep and passionate. He slid his other arm around her waist and drew her closer to him, as close as their position in a car seat allowed. 

 

“We should … go back.” Wanda laughed softly as they parted again. “Or we’re not going to  _ get  _ there.” She kissed him again, but this time it was a quick one. “Definitely to be continued when we get back, though.” She pulled back enough to start the car and looked at him. “The classical music for the trip back?” Her eyebrow was raised, clearly teasing, because she  _ knew  _ he found her taste for metal to be bewildering, though she’d very eloquently pointed out the similarities in composition between much of it and classical music. 

 

They had a lot in common, but not everything, and that was fine- good, even. 

 

“Yes, the classical music. But, one small request before we go back?” Kurt smiled at her sweetly. “It’s oft said that third time’s the charm. It seems amiss not to see if that holds true for kisses.” 

 


End file.
